


You'll be safe with me

by merrythoughts



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Canon-Typical Violence, Hannibal is an otherworldly being, M/M, Magic, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-13 22:31:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16480967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merrythoughts/pseuds/merrythoughts
Summary: You see them when he smiles at you. It's a disarming smile at that, one that somehow calms your antsy nerves. The heavy bound summoning book lays open on your rickety wooden table but you have no need for it now.





	You'll be safe with me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cinnamaldeide](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinnamaldeide/gifts).



> For the [Spooky Hannibal Fic Exchange 2018](https://spookyhannibalficexchange.tumblr.com/). I got a rather interesting prompt concerning D & D and fantasy which I'm totally not familiar/comfortable with, but I gave it my best shot and did some research... Hope this is okay Cinnamaldeide ♥
> 
> Beta'ed/cheerleader supported by [Dapperscript](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dapperscript/pseuds/Dapperscript), thx picklemouth!

There's blood on his teeth when you first lay eyes on him. Crimson is also smeared across his lips. His teeth, somehow, look impossibly sharp. You see them when he smiles at you. It's a disarming smile at that, one that somehow calms your antsy nerves. The heavy bound summoning book lays open on your rickety wooden table but you have no need for it now.

You have succeeded.

You know what he is and he knows what and who you are.

He is an otherworldly being, a being of supernatural power and if you make a pact with him, he will be your patron and master and you will be his apprentice.

He is thin and lean, his skin ebony and he resembles a naked man save for the claws he has for fingers and majestic stag antlers rising from his skull. You can feel the thrum of power and darkness that emanates from him and it has you utterly captivated. All of your hard work, all of your research, has finally brought this to fruition. Despite your fixation, despite your victory, your heart is steady.

You rise from your chair, simple robes clinging to your unimpressive frame. Lost in your study, you haven't been taking the best care of yourself, but it hardly matters now. Not now when _he_ has been summoned to your shamble of a cottage.

He observes you with eyes devoid of color or emotion.

"Hannibal," you murmur. Your voice sounds brittle like burnt parchment. You cannot recall the last time you drank anything.

"My clever boy," he replies, his voice sonorous and soothing and his words slightly accented. He makes no move. His face does not emote. It should be unsettling, but who are you to judge an eldritch creature?

Eyebrows drawing in, you're unsure you approve of how he's chosen to address you. "I'm not a boy," is what you settle on saying. You know better than to potentially antagonize Hannibal, but you've never been one to bite your tongue, so why start now?

"You are when it comes to the arcane and the occult," he answers simply.

He's not wrong. There is a small frown on your face but there's not much to smile about in this world to begin with. "Fine, I am inexperienced and young in such fields -- at least compared to you." It's a concession that you're willing to make. "But you know what I want, you know why you're here."

"Yes, but I would like to hear you say it."

Your fingers twitch at your sides. You then lift a hand to scratch at your few-days growth. It's now or never. You know this.

"I want us to form a pact, Hannibal," you begin and your voice does not waver. "I would like to learn from you. I plan on becoming as powerful as I can be. And I understand that a pact with you probably comes at a cost. That there are… services I might need to perform."

The corner of bloody lips twitch and he steps closer. You resist drawing away. Your pulse remains constant, your resolve steady, like a snake coiled around its prey.

"I accept, Will."

There is no warning as Hannibal suddenly lunges forward and slashes at your belly with one claw. It effortlessly rips through the cotton of the robes and right into your skin, cutting through you as if you were mere parchment. Agony explodes through your body as you gasp, your hands instinctively coming to clutch at the gash, trying to stop the bleeding. Your blood is warm as it washes over your hands. Your heart is no longer steady, it's erratic.

You fall to your knees and gaze up at Hannibal, shaky and confused. One claw is now tipped with blood. "Don't be afraid, Will. This will not be your death," he murmurs. You think he might be smiling fondly.

**~*~**

You wake. You're alive. You're in a bed that feels like your own. Your senses are dulled with a sluggish sleep you don't remember falling into. Reality and what transpired last night slowly slots into place in your mind.

The summoning. It had been successful. Hannibal had appeared and taken the form of a strange humanoid with claws and antlers. The pact. But Hannibal had--

Your eyes blink open and your hands come to your belly. You're not bleeding but there is a noticeable gnarled scar underneath your belly button. It's tender, sensitive as your fingers run over the raised skin, but it's clearly healed with magic. It definitely matches where you had been attacked.

You then realize that you're naked, a thin sheet covering you. You gingerly sit up, unsure just how healed your wound actually is. Surprisingly, you're able to manage it. You are in your room, candles lit, the flames dancing over heavy, oaken bookshelves, the brittle paper in each tome held within, and a thick bear's pelt spread upon the floor.

And then the door creaks open and a man breezes in. You know it's Hannibal, but this time his skin is not black and eldritch but deceptively human. Gone are the antlers, replaced with salt-and-pepper hair that looks proper. His eyes have a red otherworldly tint to them that should likely frighten you, but you don't avert your gaze. He's dressed in a billowing dark shirt and what looks like leather trousers with black polished boots. He looks so normal now that it makes you feel slightly unsettled..

"I see that you have recovered," Hannibal states before coming to sit on the edge of the bed next to you as if he is a close friend instead of a powerful being.

You may be gaping, trying hard to make sense of everything, but there is still a fog hanging over you.

"Hurt me… but then heal me?" You ask in a voice that sounds somewhat hollow even to you.

He looks you over fondly and despite his current appearance, you know that he's not truly human but, if anything, it interests you. You have numerous questions, but it's difficult to sort any of them out.

"As you said, forming a pact with me - seeking a relationship and utilizing my power - comes at a cost," Hannibal answers lightly. His voice is still soft yet commanding.

His hand comes to cover your own, which is still hovering over the newly-acquired scar. He presses your palm against it. His hand is warm over yours. You don't touch often but you don't dare pull your hand away.

"I'm with you always now, marred into your very flesh," he murmurs and you swear you see delight reflected in those strange eyes.

You should probably be unsettled, but you're not. Your other hand lifts to now cover his.

"Good, let's get started," you say.


End file.
